It’s not often as a parent that we think we are giving our children too much responsibility. From a young age, we teach them to tidy up their toys, lay the table, make their bed, load the dishwasher etc. As they get older and reach their teenage years, we give them more responsibility that is appropriate for their age. This teaches them how to do chores, feel good doing things for themselves and knowing that they are helping their parents. Responsibility is good for children.
But what if you are giving your child too much responsibility and they feel overwhelmed by it all because they are asked to cook dinner for themselves or their family or they have to do the laundry? They could be considered jobs that a young adult would normally do or someone who has left home would be doing. There could be many reasons why your child needs to help out more but can they cope and is it stressing them out?
Too Much Responsibility Can Cause Stress
As parents, we need to be aware of giving our children too much to do so that they can continue being a child. They still need time to hang out with their friends, have time to chat with their friends and have a relaxing time after doing homework. We don’t want them feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope because they can’t fit it all into their before and after school schedule and get enough sleep. This will affect their mental health and feeling stressed out.
Have a think about what your child is doing at home. Can you spot the signs that they aren’t coping? How could you lessen the load for them if they feel they aren’t? Do they have older siblings who could help, or could you juggle a few things around so that the burden on them is lighter? There is so much for them to think about whilst they are navigating school life when they are teenagers so let’s try and get them to get through the teenager’s years enjoying enough, but fewer responsibilities.
If you are thinking about me working with your child on responsibility or other issues that stress them out, see more about me. my life coaching and how I work.
Learn more about how I work with teenagers,
